Running Head: PLAYBILL PALOOZA 1

Playbill Palooza: A Celebration of the Past, Present, and

Future of Musical Theatre
Reagan Wheeler, Nicholas Balkevicius, Cariann Tanner,
Kristen Linn, Nicholas Sentoso
University of Central Florida

HFT 2071: Introduction to Entertainment

Professor Michael Wotherspoon
July 27, 2017
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Playbill Palooza: A Celebration of the Past, Present, and Future of Musical Theatre

Introduction
“What good is sitting alone in your room, come hear the music play! Life is a cabaret, ol’
chum!” The musical theatre industry is a diverse group of performers and fans who all share one
common thing: their love for the stage. The passion, the drive, and the dedication to the art of
theatre brings millions of people across the world together to celebrate the shows and performers
that have the courage to take the stage and “break a leg.” With the growing popularity of music
festivals in the last decade, one might expect such a passionate demographic would have a large
festival of their own to celebrate their art. While the multi-million-dollar musical theatre industry
highlights the infamous BroadwayCon as their token event, the need for a more immersive,
exciting experience is abundantly clear. The closest one could get to attending an event like this
now would be The Great Elsie Fest, “New York City’s first outdoor music festival celebrating
tunes from the stage and screen” (Sblendorio, 2016). However, this is largely focused solely on
the music, leaving a void in the hearts of millions, who just want to celebrate their love for the
theatre. Playbill Palooza: A Celebration of the Past, Present, and Future of Musical Theatre is
here to fill this void. In an attempt to bridge the gap between exposition style events, such as
BroadwayCon, and the ever-growing popularity of the music festival, Playbill Palooza is a new
type of Music Festival. While staying true to the traditional elements of a music festival, Playbill
Palooza will provide new opportunities for inspiration, collaboration, and recognition of all
things involved in the musical theatre industry. It will be known as the fantastic gathering of
musical theatre artists, professionals, and fans to celebrate the past, present, and future of the
musical theatre industry (Squire, Catton, & Wyatt, 2016).

The Void

Broadway grosses by week, blue=2017

The musical theatre industry, for the most part, is consistent in the success of the
business that is theatre. While many critics of the industry claim that theatre is the entertainment
of the past, the millions of musical theatre fans across the world would beg to differ. The multi-
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million-dollar industry that is musical theatre is unique in its own right and structure (Squire et
al., 2016). Seemingly uninfluenced by its size, the theatre industry follows a cult-like existence,
in which members are nearly blind in their undying faith to the business. The thespian society is
immensely dedicated to their craft, and is constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible
in the theatre. However, as Walt Disney once said, “it takes people to make the dream a reality.”
Without the collaboration of these dedicated musical theatre professionals, performers, and fans
the industry would never progress. The void is not the dedication to the industry itself, but rather
the need for a common platform for collaboration within the industry. Taking this void and
combining it with the aspects of a music festival is the idea behind Playbill Palooza. By doing so,
there is the creation of a new, unique event celebrating all aspects of the industry, and nurturing
collaboration of all members, professionals, performers, and fans (The Broadway League, 2017).

Demographics
As stated above, the musical theatre industry is a diverse population consisting of fans,
performers, and industry professionals. Theatre is the earliest forms of production entertainment,
yet it remains as one of the most popular choices of entertainment across the globe. Futurecast’s
Jeff Fromm states in his article “Marketing at Music Festivals: Playing to the Millennial Crowd”
that the majority of festival goers are within the age range of the millennial generation (Fromm
& Katz, 2017). Therefore, the obvious demographic for a music festival would be a younger
market, particularly the millennial generation. However, with the theatre being a long running
staple of the entertainment industry, the theatre’s large following does not solely derive from the
millennial generation. Unlike newer music styles such as EDM, dance, and pop music, musical
theatre attracts all age ranges. Therefore, the target audience of a musical theatre celebration
cannot exclude the mass amounts of older audiences that still flock to the theatre. The festival
aspects of the event such as the live music, outdoor venue, and live performance will mainly
target the festival audience, otherwise known as the millennial market. Simultaneously, the
exposition aspects of the event will attract audiences of all ages across the theatre market. Live
panels as well as question and answer sessions will attract the traditional theatre audience, the
ones who fill the seats each week. Meet and greets with old time classic performers, and
newcomers to the stage will attract audiences of all ages, but mostly the younger twelve to
twenty-nine demographic. The competitive events, networking opportunities, and collaborative
environment will attract up and coming Broadway talent who desperately want to break into the
industry. The ability to bridge the gap between the traditional events of a convention or
exposition, to the newer events involved in the millennial craze of music festivals, will provide
the industry with exactly what it needs. Playbill Palooza will showcase and celebrate the theatre
world for what it was, is, and can be by bringing all ages of thespian lovers together in one
collaborative event.

Inspirations & Competition

As Jean-Luc Godard once famously said, “it’s not where you take things from, its where
you take them to.” In today’s society, nothing is ever original. Therefore, it should not be a
surprise for one to come across similar ideas to their own, even the ones they though were oh so
original. The most creative and unique things can happen, when one accepts that their ideas will
hold similarities to things that already exist. For Playbill Palooza to be successful, it not only has
to promote the void that it is filling in the industry, but also recognize the similarities it holds
with events that already exist. For the recognition of these similarities will be vital to promoting
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the uniqueness of the entire event. To know what sets am event apart from its competitors, you
must assess the similarities first. The most well-known event that can be compared to the idea of
Playbill Palooza is BroadwayCon. The event describes itself as “a place where fans can come
together, celebrate their passions, and revel in the magic that is the theatre.” BroadwayCon is an
annual theatre convention held in New York, New York in January at the Jacob K. Javitz
Convention Center. It showcases the industry in the traditional convention format. However, it
lacks the appeal of a music festival. It does have live performances, but they lack the festival-esc
feel due to their indoor location and cold atmosphere. Another comparable event is The Great
Elsie Fest. As a rather new event, The Great Elsie Fest will hold its 3rd annual festival at
Summerstage, Central Park in New York, New York on October 8, 2017. It has grown in its
attendance each year, and it markets itself as a “celebration of tunes from stage and screen”
(Kaplan, 2017). It is the complete opposite of BroadwayCon, as it solely focuses on the music of
theatre and film. It lacks the collaborative aspects of a convention that allow for creative
processes to occur, but it is a great inspiration as an outdoor festival for music theatre.
And finally, the Florida State Thespians Festival, which is part of the International Thespian
Society, is also comparable in its elements. The Florida State Thespians Festival is a chance for
high school students across the state to compete in individual events as well as large scale
performances such as one-acts and group musicals. This competition aspect inspired our own
competitive element in Playbill Palooza. The Florida State Thespians Festival, however, lacks in
networking and social connections that many members of the industry seek in their success. It
allows students to explore themselves creatively, and offers small workshops to polish skills such
as monologue selections, improvisation, and many others. Ultimately, the students are able to
walk away from the festival with a greater understanding and appreciation, but no way to work
forward with their skills. Once competitions are over, where do they go? Playbill Palooza
attempts to fill that void with competitive aspects, workshops, performances (both professional
and amateur), and networking opportunities for individuals to enhance and further work with
their skills in a professional field.

The Event
Playbill Palooza will serve as a creative and collaborative festival, combing the elements
of a traditional convention, with the popular festival activities that have become increasingly
marketable over the past decade (Fromm & Katz, 2017). By doing so, it will create a gathering of
musical theatre artists, professionals, and fans to celebrate the past, present, and future of the
musical theatre industry.
The first element of the celebration will be the past. This element will celebrate the
shows, performers, and music that have now become the classics of the industry. Through live
music, performances, and unique food and beverage offerings, the musical theatre of the past
will not be forgotten at Playbill Palooza. Unique food and beverage offerings will take the form
of food trucks at Playbill Palooza. Each truck will celebrate a praised and loved production of the
past, such as “Master of the Trucks” with food and beverage offerings inspired by Les
Misérables, or “The Emerald City” with offerings inspired by Wicked.
The second element of Playbill Palooza will be the celebration of the present. This is
where the shows and productions of the current running season will be celebrated. This will also
be included in the food truck offerings, such as “Just a Taste” with offerings inspired by
Waitress: A New Musical. To celebrate the present, Playbill Palooza will also hold live panels,
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meet and greet opportunities, and question and answer sessions to celebrate the current
productions and performers of the musical theatre industry.
The third element of Playbill Palooza will be the celebration of the future of the musical
theatre industry. This is the offering most unique to the event. In an attempt to attract aspiring
creators and performers of the next generation of theatre, Playbill Palooza will offer one of a
kind competition events. These competitions will nurture the creative processes and showcase
the talent to industry leaders and professionals. There will also be an opportunity for smaller, but
established productions to network and showcase their productions at Bryant Park. One-Acts
submitted and reviewed by the event team will be accepted to perform on stage during the
festival. Each performance must be by an established troupe or group. One-Acts will be
performed continuously throughout the event.

Location
Playbill Palooza, as a festival celebrating musical theatre, will be held in the heart of
theatre, New York, New York. New York was chosen as the city for the festival as it is home to
Broadway, the most iconic theater district in America. Attendees will have the opportunity to
explore the city while experiencing a one of a kind festival for theatre lovers. The choice to hold
the event in New York City will appeal to the guest’s sight, sound, taste, and smell as they get to
explore the heart of theatre through local restaurants, unique food offerings at the event, or just
simply sightseeing.
Playbill Palooza will need two separate spaces to accommodate the diverse offerings of
the festival. The convention aspect of the event will be held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention
Center on the West side of Manhattan. This venue would host the seminars and competition
portion of the event. Playbill Palooza will utilize the whole third floor of the Jacob K. Javits
Convention Center for the event. The festival portion of the event would take place at Bryant
Park in New York. Bryant park is a 9,000-square foot park located just minutes away from the
Jacob K Javitz Convention Center. We will have a stage set up for live performances and one act
productions.

Funding/Sponsorships
To maintain the immersive aspect of the festival, funding and sponsorships must be
businesses that align with the vision of the event and benefit the guest’s experience. The
sponsorships must also remain mutually beneficial, as benefiting the theatre and Broadway
community surrounding the event is vital to its success. Chelsea Craft Brewing Company is a
locally-based brewery that will hold exclusive pouring rights for alcohol products at Playbill
Palooza. As part of the sponsorship package, Playbill Palooza will offer the opportunity to be the
official sponsor of the festival and be the exclusive providers of this specific category. The Café
Grind will also be the official food and coffee sponsors of the event and will collaborate with the
team to develop the unique offerings inside the food trucks. The sponsorship package benefits
these local businesses by increasing visibility for their product and brand through signs, posters,
and content throughout the social media marketing campaign. Sponsorships such as SuperShuttle
and the Magnuson Convention Center Hotel will provide services that will benefit the guest’s
overall experience at Playbill Palooza by providing adequate transportation and housing.

Conclusion
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Playbill Palooza: A Celebration of the Past, Present, and Future of Musical Theatre will
be a fresh, unique experience that combines the traditional elements of a convention with the
popular and extremely marketable elements of a music festival. The event will be fully
immersive, allowing the guests to explore the heart of musical theatre, New York City, while
attending the unique experiences of the festival. So, “What good is sitting alone in your room,
come hear the music play! Life is a cabaret, ol’ chum! Come to the Cabaret!”
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References

The Broadway League. (2017, July 24). Broadway Grosses - Week Ending 7/23/2017. Retrieved

July 27, 2017, from http://www.broadwayworld.com/grosses.cfm

Fromm, J., & Katz, L. (2017). Marketing at Music Festivals: Playing to the Millennial Crowd.

Retrieved July 27, 2017, from http://www.millennialmarketing.com/2014/01/marketing-

at-music-festivals-playing-to-the-millennial-crowd/

Kaplan, B. (2017, July 26). Darren Criss Announces Elsie Fest 2017 With Acoustic 'I Dreamed a

Dream'. Retrieved July 27, 2017, from http://www.playbill.com/article/darren-criss-

announces-elsie-fest-2017-with-acoustic-i-dreamed-a-dream

Mischief Management LLC. (2017). What is BroadwayCon, Anyway? Retrieved July 27, 2017,

from http://www.broadwaycon.com/about/

Sblendorio, M. (2016, September 07). BWW Exclusive: A First Hand Account of Elsie Fest

2016! Retrieved July 27, 2017, from http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW-

Exclusive-A-First-Hand-Account-of-Elsie-Fest-2016-20160907

Squire, S., Catton, P., & Wyatt, T. (2016, October 23). The Business of Broadway: Where the

money is flowing in New York's $1.3 billion theater industry. Retrieved July 27, 2017,

from http://graphics.wsj.com/business-of-broadway/. The Broadway League.